AUIYNHYG would like to take a moment to mourn the loss of fellow explorer and graffiti lover Ian Talty. Ian was from Woodbury and passed this weekend while taking photos in a tunnel after he was washed into the Mississippi River by a sudden rush of rain water.
[Click here for the full story on his death]
He was a man of great talent and someone I definitely would have liked to meet and go exploring with. What happened to him is the scary reality of what can happen to urban explorers such as ourselves, yet at the time I now feel even more inspired to keep on doing what I’m doing. When SOLVE passed last year I felt the same way. Even though I had only known SOLVE for a short period of time in high school, I felt so touched and inspired by his life and work that I carried it over into my work. And now I will do the same thing.
Ian lived in, explored and knew the city and area that I long so much for. So in honor of him, I will hit the pavement harder than before and everytime I get up to the cities I’ll hit the streets there even harder and hope that I’m honoring the memory of someone who earned so much respect.
Ian leaves behind his wife Nicole and 10 year old stepson Cody. I’m hoping that a memorial fund of some kind will be created. I’ll post details as I get them. There is also talk of a tribute mural in the cities which I hope happens soon. He deserves it.
Please check out Ian’s work by clicking the following links:
The Joy Of The Mundane – Flickr Photostream (his last post was the day before his death)
The Joy Of The Mundane – Tumblr
Rest In Power.
——–UPDATE———–
Here are some tributes to Ian that have cropped up so far:
(all stolen from forums)
Solo came through with a beautiful portrait:
I’ll post more as I see them. TTC has been totally rocked by this and it’s good to see that what Ian loved is loving him right back.
This is my favorite photo that I’ve found of Ian so far.
I have so many pictures of myself like this, it’s awesome to know that I’m not the only one! Oh I wish I could have met him!
There is a memorial fund set up for Ian at First American Bank, where his wife works. The phone # there is 715.381.8330–you can call for details. Thank you for the kind words–I’ll be sure to pass them along. His wife has been so touched by all the tributes and the online outpouring of support–thank you for that. It emphasizes her point that he may have only lived for 30 years, but he really *lived* during those 30 years, which is more than many can say. Not many 30-year-olds can leave such a legacy.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 @ 10:41 pm